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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Review Tour & Excerpt: The Dark Ones by Rachel Van Dyken

The Dark Ones by Rachel Van Dyken

(The Dark Ones Saga #1)

September 20, 2015

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Contains: sex

Source: eARC for Honest review

To touch a Dark One is death.
To talk to an immortal is suicide.
Yet, I've been marked by both.
A Vampire.
And the King of the immortals.
My life is no longer my own.
And now I know the truth, my life was never mine to begin with.
It was theirs.
It's always been theirs.

Oh yeah. Loved it! I've been wanting a new paranormal series to get into. This year I have also discovered Rachel Van Dyken and have been falling in love with her books. So to get 'The Dark Ones' to sink my teeth into (no pun intended) was a real treat. This is the first Dark Ones book, and I hope there are many more, because I loved getting to know these characters and this world.

The World: It's current time, except humans and immortals live amongst each other. Yet the immortals are far above the humans. As we come to find out, the humans don't know nearly as much about the immortals as they thought they did. And, of course, there is danger lurking in the unknown.

The Story: Genesis has been pulled into the immortal world after being called to face them, and then being marked. But being marked is nothing to be taken lightly, as the immortals have some crazy history, with life-altering consequences affecting humans and immortals alike. The choices that Genesis takes from this point forth will be crucial.

The Characters: Genesis is a great heroine. Watching her transition from the life she led before and how her childhood affected her, to now and how her personality comes out, was engaging and made her an easy character to want to follow along with and root for. Ethan, I also loved. Despite the rough start with him, learning his history and watching his heart, easily won me over. Cassius was such a medley of personality, and I loved that we got to know him slowly but surely. Plus, we have fascinating characters with Mason (loved him), Alex, and Stephanie. Getting bits and pieces of backstory added so much, bringing these characters to life, and allowing me to invest in their outcomes.

The Romance: Now this is where I don't want to give away spoilers. But I will say that I enjoyed the romantic build-up here. Genesis has been marked for mating, but she still has choices to make. And I can honestly say I loved all her choices. I loved the romance between her and the hero. I also loved that she kept him on his toes. But I definitely felt their connection beyond the supernatural factors, and loved where their relationship led them.

The Ending: I loved the final outcome of this story. It had a great climax and fully engaged me. I didn't want to put this book down. Plus, we get a hint as to what is hopefully coming next. But there is resolution to the main story, so no cliffhanger fear here. Can't wait for the next book!

I still tasted her blood on my lips, was embarrassed for the first time in a century when Alex glanced up from his spot at the kitchen table to see me licking my lips like I'd just devoured the poor girl.

He shook his head. "Been that long, huh?"

"Alex…" I closed my eyes and prayed for patience. "…remind me why I let you live here?"

"I'm good-looking," he answered simply. "Besides, I'm a hell of a fighter — scrappy, I think is how you define my kind. You need me."

"Stop." I pressed my fingertips to my temples and rubbed. The ache to have her had consumed me so much that I'd run down the stairs moving so fast I'd nearly collided with a wall, and grabbed blood from the fridge.

I didn't need it.

But I craved it.

And if I didn't drink the donated blood, I sure as hell was going to drain her and enjoyed very last drop.

"I wonder…" Alex's voice pierced my thoughts. "What's it like?" He leaned forward. "Having to learn self-control all over again… being as ancient as you are?"

I ignored him.

He kept talking.

"Blood-free for a century and now…" He grinned and licked his lips. "Kind of like falling off the wagon, yeah?"

"You're giving me a headache." I threw the empty bag of blood at his face. He moved to the side and snickered. "And I'm fine. Everything is just—"

Her smell was intoxicating. She was walking down the stairs, so her heart picked up speed, her body giving off a scent of burnt vanilla and oranges with a hint of sugar.

My mouth literally watered.

"Fine?" Alex said in a mocking voice. "Was that what you were going to say? Damn, man show a little decorum, you look… starved."

"I am," I whispered and fought the urge to rock back and forth. That was the problem with mating — with bonding. Nothing tasted like her, nothing ever would, and typically, having her as my mate gave me full access.

But the more I took…

The stronger the bond.

And the more I wanted…

It was a vicious overwhelming cycle. It would lead me to become emotionally invested while she, as a human, could simply pretend.

It wasn't fair.

Immortals, in essence, were cursed with a deep desire to be like a human — to possess them, to bond with them forever — while humans only felt the same draw to us if they actually loved us.

Ridiculous.

"Oh, there you are." Stephanie pushed Genesis forward and pulled out a chair.
Slowly, Genesis took a seat and glared at each one of us. "Where's Mason?"

Genesis blinked at Alex then back at me. "Because you guys have the capacity for jealousy."

Alex whistled while Stephanie laughed.

Immortals were the most jealous beings on the planet. Had her school taught her nothing?

Was I to be her tutor as well?

"So…" Alex trained his eyes on her, putting her at as much ease as he could without stopping her poor heart. "Now that the mating is complete, you get to learn all about us and service your man here." He slapped my back.

Really. Really. Poor choice of words.

Genesis paled.

I rolled my eyes. "He's kidding."

Alex laughed. "I think it needs to be said that having a human at the house has already helped my mood immensely."

"That makes one of you," Genesis said under her breath.

Alex leaned forward and whispered, "Ethan, try not to be so grouchy. Keep the fangs in and all."

I extended them just to prove a point.

Genesis recoiled.

I instantly felt guilty.

Damn it.

"You won't…" I licked my lips. "You won't have to service me, as Alex so delicately put it."

"Is that what mates do?" Genesis asked, her eyes searching mine. "They…" She lifted her hands into the air and dropped them.

"If that's what you think they do, we have a very big problem." Alex mimicked her movements and winked.

She blushed.

I hissed at him and returned my attention to her. "It's like a human relationship, only stronger. You'll attend functions with me, be by my side, at my beck and call for as long as you live."

I didn't want to say until one day she just didn't wake up. It sounded too cruel.

"And when I'm bored out of my mind… I do what?" She crossed her arms. "I mean, what could you possibly need from me?"

"Adorable." Alex sighed happily. "I'm so glad we kept her."

"Alex…" I was two seconds away from slamming him into the nearest wall. "Make yourself useful and find our human a snack."

"I'm not a pet!" Genesis yelled. "And I'm not your human!"

"You are," I yelled right back, "mine!"

"Kids." Stephanie stepped between us.

I didn't even realize I'd gotten out of the chair and was towering over her, fangs out, hands raised. She'd turned me into a monster. And still, my eyes found her erratic pulse. One more taste…

"Ethan—" Stephanie pushed against my chest. I didn't move. "Ethan!"

"Friend…" Mason walked into the room. "Sit your ass down before she hands it to you."

"Like she could!" I roared.

"Like I have!" Stephanie pushed me again. "Don't tempt me… again."

I sat, while Mason made his way over to Genesis and offered an easy smile. The man had nothing to smile about, yet he was smiling — at my mate.

I growled.

Mason gave me the finger and kept his attention trained on Genesis. "How do you feel?"

"Better." She returned his smile and squeezed his outstretched hand. "Thanks for not… killing me when I asked."

"Damn…" Alex said from the kitchen.

"You were in pain." Mason shrugged. "And I'm glad you're alright."

"She's fine. We're fine. Everything's fine," I said through clenched teeth. "Now it's probably time to give her answers before she thinks she can run off and actually survive in the real world without being hunted by a Dark One, or worse, found by Cassius."

"He isn't all bad," Stephanie said defensively.

We all glared at her.

"What?" She lifted her hands into the air. "I'm just saying he's been trying as hard as we have. So what if he's gotten a bit possessive over the last few numbers that have been called."

Alex slammed his fist onto the table. "He stole Ethan's—"

"Enough." I held up my hand. The pain in my chest grew until it was hard to breathe. I knew what would take that pain away.

Genesis.

But I was too angry to ask for it. Too ashamed to fall to my knees in front of a mere mortal and beg for her to end the pain by allowing me one solitary drop of her blood.

As if on cue, another bag of blood hit me in the head.

Alex must have sensed my mood.

I bit into it and looked away from Genesis's horrified expression.

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!
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You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel's New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com .